As cultured as a Simon Elliot square pass

First “Look” at the Team

The Black and Gold Standard has a game report from the three scrimmages the Crew played today against the United States U-17 National Team. The Crew dominated, as expected, with 8 goals over 105 minutes.

It’s still very early in preseason, but I found the the lineups very interesting. Herrera slotted into the first eleven immediately into the first group. Setting up a goal and scoring one himself. Jed Zayner’s recap is confirming my suspicions that the Colombian may be a poacher rather than a bruising back to the goal target forward. This has big ramifications on how the team will operate on the offensive end.

On that note, it’s also interesting that Gaven, Rogers, and Ekpo all played in the midfield with Gaven and Moffat the central midfield I assume. That is a very offensive midfield; one that can probably spring out in a counterattack and keep possession, especially against an overwhelmed opponent.

On the other end of the spectrum, we get a look at the players that may be on the bubble. Dike and Garey were the last forwards to get a look. Grendi and Elenio are getting a chance to prove their versatility and worth by playing fullback. Burns and Oughton worked with the trialists in the final game as well. These are some of the players I would think would be on the bubble.